Call it “The American Way”.  Call it “Following Your Bliss”.  No matter what term you use, the notion is the same: in a troubled economy, American workers have a knack for taking layoffs as an opportunity for a new day.  As an advertising and marketing firm, we’re privileged to see some of these fresh ideas in their infancy. We get to be a part of their brand development, from the meaning of a logo color to stepping into the shoes of a target audience. We get to hear the stories of lifelong dreams coming alive with a new-found hope for tomorrow (because there is always tomorrow).

Recently we all stopped and reflected in the challenges of the past 2 years and those that are waiting for us in 2010.  We could hardly ignore the fact that, as a small business, it was not so long ago that we were in similar shoes as today’s recessionary entrepreneurs. We all agreed that we wanted to do more to help foster other small businesses. While we’re still working on some details (subscribe to this blog  for updates!), we’re very excited about being a part of growth in 2010!

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Rearview’s own Alex Danaila and Laura Butler will be at the Cumming-Forsyth’s annual Business Expo this afternoon. The event provides businesses in the north metro Atlanta area a unique opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and small businesses.  Stop by our table to learn more about our wide range of marketing, design, and development services, including our new Small Business Package which is specifically designed and priced for the fledgling business on a budget. Hope to see you there!

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Mosaica Education approached Rearview with no elementary task. They needed a website that essentially “had it all’; from a main corporate site, to unlimited sub-sites complete with their own identities, to a multi-user system that could be monitored and flexible enough for individual schools to fulfill their own needs while allowing corporate staff ultimate oversight of each element.  Rearview accomplished this task by utilizing a multi-site publishing system and developing custom applications to meet Mosaica’s goals. The end result is not just one new website, but an entire collection of sites which grows every day. View the Mosaica Education site or one of their many school sites.

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Mt. Zion Baptist Church, located in Canton, asked Rearview to develop a new website that would allow it’s congregation to communicate and interact in new ways. Building on the expansive Wordpress Publishing Platform, Rearview developed custom solutions to Mt. Zion’s challenges, including an event calendar system which allows members to sign up for a user account, register, and track chosen events at the church.  While the blog system allows church leaders to keep members informed and expand day-to-day outreach efforts, the sermon podcasts also prove a beneficial addition for those looking to review Sunday lessons and even listen from home.

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The knowledge and expertise of Rearview’s own interactive development team combined with The Providence Group’s ability to develop consistently successful “leading-edge” designs, we have developed a “state of the database art” website to showcase the available product. The website can be viewed at http://www.tpghomes.net. Fully dynamic, it allows the marketing team complete control over content, while still saving money with direct inventory pulls and bypassing third party vendors.

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We are pleased to announce that Rearview has been recognized with three American Graphic Design Awards. Delano Homes & Communities Logo, Elanders Seiz Printing Presentation Box, as well as our own Who’s Behind Your Image? Brochure are all featured in the November/December 2008 issue of Graphic Design USA magazine.

The annual competition, which showcases excellence in design, has been around for almost 4 decades and receives more than 10,000 entries each year. Only 10% are chosen by a panel of top industry professionals and printed in the 300-page Awards Annual edition of Graphic Design USA.

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Earlier this month, color expert Pantone announced the 2009 color of the year -mimosa yellow. The cheerful and energetic shade (PANTONE® 14-0848 to be exact) replaces the 2008 color blue iris and and is inspired by the bright flowers of the Mimosa tree. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® says, “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance.” Shades of yellow motivate and stimulate creative thought and the color is always an attention getter. Yellow is already being seen in spring/summer 2009 fashion shows and will soon be hard to miss.

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An online campaign to increase traffic and revenue for North Point Ministries’ online store went live last week at http://resources.northpoint.org. The five best sellers are available for 50% off as a limited time offer until the end of the year.

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Valet Waste, based out of Tampa, FL services 400+ communities and was in need of a new online presence. Rearview offered a solution to present the company to it’s current and potential apartment properties by coming up with a bright design and an interactive, database driven site. With the new technology Valet Waste marketing department now manages all content from recent news updates to staff information. Visit http://www.valetwaste.com to view more!

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Our client Windsong Properties wanted a winter ad campaign with a warm fuzzy, home for the holidays, feeling. The ads, postcards and email campaign encourage potential home buyers to move closer to their families and into one of Windsong’s active adult communities.

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Echomebuilders.com is a database driven web site with full admin access supporting dozens of communities with direct inventory pull from multiple listing services, thus eliminating third party vendors and saving on cost. Kudos go out to Rearview’s creative and interactive development teams!

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Economic crisis is the birthplace of the American entrepreneur. Some of the United States’ greatest businesses men rose to stardom from the ashes of recessions. While some of us are crying over layoffs, budget cuts, and maxed out credit cards, others are scraping together enough cash to bootstrap a mission.

For any start-up, marketing is vital to getting noticed. For those with cash in short supply, try these five high impact, low budget tactics.

1. Join the Club. Identify easy to reach niche markets and target them by getting involved in local interest specific organizations.

2. Piggy-back. Is there another successful company that reaches your target demographic, but doesn’t compete with you? Pay attention to what they are doing. You can learn a lot without spending big bucks on strategy planning.

3. Become a Local Superhero. A few good deeds in the community won’t only give you good karma, it’s a great way to get your name in the papers for free.

4. Form an Alliance. A joint venture with other non-competing businesses makes your marketing dollars go a lot farther!

5. Ask for referrals. Make the most of your relationships with satisfied customers by asking for their referrals. A good word goes a lot farther than an expensive ad campaign.

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Love it or hate it, the new Pepsi packaging is already in stores. Personally I am a Dr. Pepper drinker, but still love to see image makeovers. Unfortunately this new icon, which took five months to develop, does not impress me. The white band meant to resemble a smile just looks awkward. The can, designed to look sleek and modern, is a little too clean, almost as if its missing something. I’m not the only one who’s disappointed — read what others think in this creativity-online.com article.

The new logo, Pepsi’s 11th for the 110 year old company, was created in response to a decline in sales. But today its no longer about competition with Coke — energy drinks, teas and bottled water seem to be taking over. Along with the redesign of Pepsi there is a new look for Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist as well. Will it all be enough to boost Pepsi’s sales? Will the public love the new look even if designers hate it?

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One of our latest projects is a print piece for leading education service provider Mosaica Education. The company, who manages K-12 charter schools in the US and Middle East, needed a sales tool as they continue to grow and expand internationally. The finished piece, a colorful 12-page brochure, is filled with answers to frequently asked questions about their educational program.

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